The origins of the musical instrument are obscure, but the appeal of Appalachian dulcimers is undeniable for dozens of players around the Aiken-Augusta area, including several who normally meet twice a month in Aiken to practice and occasionally to perform.
Gary Warnock is a charter member of Mountain Dulcimers of Aiken, a group that he helped establish in 2011, once he grew tired of driving to and from Augusta to participate in a group that met there. He and fellow enthusiast Tommy Harman decided to check on local interest.
"We put an ad in the newspaper, and ... thought we'd have two or three people respond, and 22 came. Not everyone could play, but ... they found it interesting," Warnock said. Nursing homes, downtown businesses and social clubs have provided venues for performances over the years, dating back to 2013.
Dulcimers, which may have from three to six strings, have their root in the Latin and Greek words "dulce" and "melos," which combine to mean "sweet tune," according to a history from the Smithsonian Institution.
The Aiken group, with membership being of traditional retirement age, largely went into hibernation due to COVID-19 fears, but practices have resumed and visitors – whether listeners or aspiring players – are welcome on the first and third Tuesday of each month at Living Hope Fellowship, from 5:30 to about 7 p.m.
The church, at 2550 Old Dominion Road, now has 10-15 players show up for practices, Warnock said, noting that investments in instruments can vary widely, as a basic dulcimer can be acquired for around $150, and a top-notch specimen may require something much closer to $3,000.
Warnock's experience with stringed instruments is deep, as he has been playing guitar for 55 years and added the dulcimer around 2005. "He's very musical," said Tony Franklin, another current member of Mountain Dulcimers of Aiken, who can also handle a guitar and mandolin.
The instrument itself is simple to learn, in Franklin's assessment. "You can learn to play it in 15 to 20 minutes ... It comes out of the Appalachian mountain area. It's kind of a unique instrument. Most of the music that we play is what they call old fiddle tunes."
The Aiken group's songbook includes such creations as "I'll Fly Away," "Old Joe Clark," "Squirrel Heads and Gravy," "June Apple," "Nut Factory" and "Britches Full of Stitches."
Warnock also provided a little historical insight on the instrument of choice. "There’s still debate on whether it came over from Scotland or Germany in the late 1700s, and it kind of settled in the Appalachian mountains and became kind of known as a mountain instrument."
